GOP softens tone on Obama jobs plan

STEVE HELBER : ASSOCIATED PRESS
JOBS: President Barack Obama pushes his jobs bill Friday at the University of Richmond. Republicans back from a summer break have softened their tone, and some have indicated support of parts of Obama's plan. Others remain critical.

Photo: Steve Helber

WASHINGTON - Armed with worrisome poll data and seeking to maintain the legislative upper hand, congressional Republicans who have spent the balance of the year pouring buckets of criticism on the Obama administration are shifting to a more restrained approach as they ponder how to respond to the president's jobs plan.

Back from a summer break in their districts - where they faced constituents howling about Washington bickering and intransigence - Republicans on Friday left the door open to several elements of the president's $447 billion jobs package of tax cuts and spending programs, even those that just five weeks ago were met with vehement opposition.

'Very frustrated'

The abrupt change in tone and substance after months of searing budget fights that turned off a watching public suggested that Republicans on Capitol Hill were anxious about entering the 2012 races with a reputation more for confrontation than compromise.

"People expect results, and they're very frustrated that they are not seeing that coming out of Washington," Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., said. "That implies that we have to have some compromise, some area where we agree that we're going to move things forward for the better."

House Speaker John Boehner and Rep. Eric Cantor, whose Virginia district was President Barack Obama's first stop on his national tour to press his agenda, are also taking a more conciliatory approach than in previous fiscal battles, when both men essentially declared war on the administration's policies.

On Friday, the two leaders sent an exceedingly polite letter to Obama asking that he send any bills containing his jobs plans to the Congressional Budget Office so that their costs can be evaluated.

"It is our desire to work together to find common ground between your ideas and ours," read the letter," a significant switch from a few weeks ago, when Cantor said that Obama was "over his head as to what do to about the economy" in an interview on The Wall Street Journal's website.

Of course, this is not exactly a loving courtship. Republicans, whose views on Obama's plans are still being formulated, may well be seeking to tamp down criticism that they are shrill or contributing to stagnant employment, with many of their members facing re-election in Democratic strongholds.

On Thursday and Friday, following Obama's speech, Republicans cited areas where they thought there could be agreement. Many Republicans, such as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, now say they are open to the idea of a payroll tax cut, especially one extended to small businesses, and pointed to the three free-trade bills as worthy of support.

Both sides also have expressed favorable views of a program based on one in Georgia in which unemployment beneficiaries are matched with employers who provide them with job training.

Sessions opposes cut

Whether the current tone is largely a tactic or something that could produce some legislative agreement remains to be seen as the president and his congressional opponents have weeks to hash out the jobs legislation as well as other contentious issues on the calendar.

Indeed, Republicans are not backing down from their own fiscal agenda, which will be heavy this month in deregulation bills and curbs on unions.The new era of propitiation was conceived by the House Republican leadership, a group that other members, particularly those belonging to the conservative Republican Study Committee, have been known to buck.

Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, who heads the organization to re-elect Republican House members, derided the payroll tax cut Friday as a "horrible idea" and said, "I respect our leaders, but I found what the president said to be out of balance."

His group, the National Republican Congressional Committee, has distributed talking points to GOP candidates, telling them to blame the president for all of the nation's woes.